Philadelphia Daily Record

Vol. II No. 86 (246)

Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia

June 20, 2011

Philadelphia Daily Record

Ed Cuts Means Woes

STATE REP. JIM ROEBUCK, House Democratic Education Committee Chair, was interviewed on “NBC10 @Issue” by Steve Highsmith. Roebuck expressed his concern about deep cuts to education funding in House Republican budget and Gov. Tom Corbett’s plan – especially when State has more than $500 million in unexpected revenue.

Photo by Bonnie Squires

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The Philadelphia Public Record Calendar Jun. 17Annual Health Tech graduation at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, 3601 A St., 10 a.m.

Funded by Kal & Lucille Rudman Foundation. RSVP Barbara A. Liccio (215) 427-5398.

Jun. 18Judge Tom Gehret’s Municipal Court Party a the Shore, 3 to 7 p.m. 401 W. Pine Av. North Wildwood, NJ. RSVP 215-873-1`55 or email JudgeTGehret@aol.com Jun. 25Senator Anthony Williams will host a Family Fun and Food day at free cookout at Stinger Square, 32nd and Reed St., from 11am to 4pm. For information call 215492-2980.

Jun. 29PRO-ACT 2-hr. workshop on “How to Talk to Your Legislators

& Get Them to Hear You, ” at 6 p.m. at PRO-ACT Recovery Training Ctr., 444 N. 3rd St., Suite 307. Again on Sat., Aug. 13 at 10 a.m. at the same location. Free.

Call William Webb (215) 9231661.

Jun. 29Montgomery, McCracken, et al, invite all to portrait presentation of Honorable Judge Gene D. Cohen at 4 p.m. in Room 653 City Hall. Reception follows in Conversation Hall, 2nd Floor, City Hall. RSVP Stephanie Redding 215-772-7260.

Jul. 10Benefit for Women Veterans hosted by Cathy Santos at Mom’s Kitchen Table Garden Courtyard, 2317 Ridge Ave., 4-9 p. m. For info Cathy Santos (215) 8344228.

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Welcome America! Stresses Local ‘Tastes’ Philadelphia’s free 11-day July 4th Festival will feature a weekend of culinary favorites and all-star entertainment Jun. 24-26 at Penn’s Landing, Chestnut Street & Columbus Boulevard.

This year’s Taste of Philadelphia is even bigger and better than ever before, as the Festival footprint is expanded two blocks over the Chestnut Street bridge to Front Street. Philly’s famous food trucks, a new and innovative addition to the event, will set up shop along the bridge, including favorites La Marqueza, Insomnia and Dapper Dog and treats Call Me Cupcakes and Sweet Box. Also, a second stage for entertainment, in addition to the RiverStage, will be introduced this year on the corner of Chestnut & Front Streets. Throughout the weekend, this Old City Stage will feature a DJ playing world music, and notable Philadelphia chefs from Cuba Libre, Sampan and Feast Your Eyes will showcase cooking demonstrations.

“We are thrilled to expand Taste of Philadelphia in all categories – entertainment, food and location,” said Melanie Johnson, city representative and executive director of Wawa Welcome America!. “We anticipate people will be very impressed with the wide variety of top-notch artists and delicious dishes set to delight people of all ages throughout the entire weekend.”

New participants this year include Chenango, Tiffin, Stella Jeannes, Kuzina by Sophia, Feast Your 13 JUNE, 2011

Eyes, Marabella Meatball Company, Gigi Restaurant and Innovative Catering Concepts. Additional restaurants include Jamaican Jerk Hut, Keatings River Grill, Darlings Diner, Hard Rock Café, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels and Irish Ice. Another new twist this year is the enhancement of music genres, with jazz, blues, Latin jazz, gospel and world music now in the mix. Friday night’s line-up includes Philadelphia’s own Gerald Veasley; he will round out opening night at 7:30 p.m. with jazz favorites performed under the stars after a performance by the Philadelphia Freedom Jazz Orchestra.

During the day on Saturday, find a seat along the waterfront and enjoy performances by acclaimed and local musicians such as the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz, Odean Pope Saxophone Choir, Toy Soldier, Deb Callahan, Brass Heaven featuring Jeff Bradshaw and Venissa Santi with special guest Eva Cortes. Also, at 3 p.m., the finalists of the Wawa Welcome America! Singer/songwriter Competition will showcase their talents and compete to impress the judges on the RiverStage.

Then, on Saturday, Jun. 25 at 8 p.m., singer and songwriter Somi will open the evening’s concert with her acoustic, culture-merging elegance. She has recorded songs in English and three East African languages. Headliner and hitmaker Aaron Neville then rocks the stage with his famous combination of rhythm and blues, followed by a THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

fireworks extravaganza over the Delaware River — the first of three fireworks displays during Wawa Welcome America!.

Taste of Philadelphia concludes on Sunday, Jun. 26, dishing out more savory flavors and sounds Philadelphia is known for. Local gospel choirs, jazz musicians and blues bands will perform including Frank Bey and the Swing City Blues Band, Delton Walker, the Sounds of Life Choir and Zak Williams and One Akord. Ending on a high note, James “JJ” Hairston and Youthful Praise, the inspired pen and iconic sound that introduced such gospel hits as “Awesome God” and “Incredible God, Incredible Praise,” will headline the concert at 6 p.m. on the RiverStage.

The world-class entertainment and admission to Penn’s Landing is free, with bite-sized “tastes” just a few dollars. Taste of Philadelphia takes place Friday, Jun. 24, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, Jun. 25, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, Jun. 26, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

People of all ages are invited to experience Wawa Welcome America!, the City of Philadelphia’s free July 4th Festival, from Jun. 24-Jul. 4. With 11 days of free patriotic fun and pageantry including a fullscale parade, fireworks, history, live entertainment, the largest free outdoor concert in America, food, culture and pageantry, there is something for the whole family’s taste. For more Wawa Welcome America! event information, visit |

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www.welcomeamerica.com.

Wawa Welcome America! is a multi-day festival that celebrates America’s birthday in America’s birthplace, Philadelphia, and is produced by Welcome America, Inc. For more information, please visit www.welcomeamerica.com.

The US Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,204 such cities in the country today. Each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the Mayor.

Nutter Slotted For Leadership In Mayors’ Conference

Sen. Stack To Offer AdultBasic Amendments To Budget Bill

At the 79th Annual Meeting of The U.S. Conference of Mayors in Baltimore, Md., the mayors elected new organizational leadership. Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter was elected VP. This means Nutter, if reelected, is on the path to be the 70th President of the organization in 2012 and will be a lead advocate for cities and urban areas during a Presidential election year. Nutter will be the third Philadelphia Mayor to be president of USCM, including Mayor Richardson Dilworth (’60-’61) and Mayor James H. J. Tate (’70-’71). Currently, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, Cal., is President of the USCM.

State Sen. Mike Stack (D-Northeast) plans to offer two amendments to the House Republican budget plan that would help restart the adultBasic health coverage program.

“I am honored to be part of the US Conference of Mayors and am excited to expand my leadership role at a critical time for cities. USCM is not only a vehicle for mayors to come together and discuss issues facing our urban areas, but it is also a powerful voice advocating for our cities on a national level,” said the Mayor. “America’s cities are facing many challenges, but also they are also more important than ever to our nation’s success. I look forward to working with Mayors across the country to push the urban agenda.”

“Mayor Nutter is one of the most innovative metropolitan leaders in the United States today,” said Bruce Katz, VP and director of the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program. “He has been at the vanguard of mayors who are helping to retool their economies, post-recession, towards more productive and sustainable growth. His will be a fresh, pragmatic perspective to the national debate on jobs and the economy.”

On Monday, Nutter will be among a select group of mayors who have been invited to the White House to discuss job creation and the ongoing economic recovery.

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“The House Republicans and the governor have chosen to ignore the 41,000 Pennsylvanians who lost their health coverage when adultBasic ended in February, but I have not forgotten them and I know many of them are still without insurance,” Stack said.

“These amendments will help fund the program again without raising any taxes. More importantly, they will give these hard-working individuals a decent health plan again and peace of mind.”

His first amendment would transfer the General Assembly’s $188.5 million surplus into the Tobacco Settlement Fund to fund the adultBasic program. This language is similar to the Senator’s SB 420, which he introduced earlier this year.

“This amendment would restart adultBasic and help former recipients obtain affordable health insurance,” Stack said. “It also gives us a chance to review the adultBasic program and make administrative changes to coverage, eligibility checks, and cost sharing options to help ensure the program’s financial survival until 2014.”

Stack’s second amendment would use half of the legislative surplus, an estimated $94.25 million, to restart adultBasic.

“This will give us about six months to run the program, make administrative and cost sharing changes to ensure the program is sustainable until 2014, and to locate additional financing for the program,” Stack said.

These measures are identical to amendments Stack wrote for SB 1000, which would transfer unused

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funds from legislative accounts to the General Fund.

AdultBasic offered low-cost health insurance to working Pennsylvanians who didn’t qualify for Medical Assistance. The State-run program ran out of funding on Feb. 28 and has not been addressed in neither the Governor’s nor the House Republicans’ budget proposals.

Since that time, only 32% of the 41,000 AdultBasic customers enrolled in Special Care, a more-expensive alternative health plan offered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurers.

icy that will create more budget problems than it solves.” Local banking officials agreed and joined Tartaglione to urge lawmakers to restore the funding in the final budget.

Payton introduces bill to give undocumented students in-state tuition rates State Rep. Tony Payton Jr. (D-Kensington), has introduced legislation that would allow undocumented immigrant students to pay in-state tuition at any Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education school, community college or state-related university.

“Our financial outlook is improving in Pennsylvania, but the financial outlook for 41,000 working Pennsylvanians has never looked worse. They are one illness, one trip to the emergency room away from financial ruin,” Stack said. “We can prevent these devastating consequences right now and we can make a difference right now by passing these amendments.”

At a Philadelphia news conference held at Kensington CAPA High School this morning Payton said most undocumented students had no choice in entering the United States illegally, and his legislation would give them more opportunities to make positive make economic and social contributions to society.

Tartaglione Pushes For More Mortgage Aid

“Gov. Corbett wants to cut higher education by 50% this year, and under the Republican budgets, it doesn’t fare much better,” Payton said. “College is becoming a pipe dream for too many children, not because they aren’t talented or willing to work hard, but because they can’t afford it. For undocumented children, it’s that much harder to attain an education.

State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione (D-Kensington) has joined local bank executives, homeowners and consumer advocates in support of restored funding for Pennsylvania’s emergency mortgage-assistance program.

At a news conference at City Hall, Tartaglione said preventing foreclosures is a key component of economic recovery.

“Over the next two weeks, I will be urging my colleagues to remember that keeping a family in their home is more than just good will. It’s good policy,” she said. “It holds families together, which holds neighborhoods together, which holds communities together.”

Funding for Pennsylvania’s Homeowner Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program was eliminated in Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget proposal, announced in March.

Tartaglione said a projected State budget surplus should prevent cuts that would put homes and neighborhoods at risk.

“Restoring our commitment to HEMAP is an investment in people, neighborhoods, small businesses and big banks. It floats all boats,” she said. “Taking away the help when it is needed the most is bad public pol20 JUNE, 2011

“Considering the significant cost difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition, as well as the fact undocumented students are not eligible for federal financial aid, college is often extremely expensive and simply out of reach for many of these students,” Payton explained.

Under Payton’s bill, to be eligible, students would have to attend a public or nonpublic secondary school in Pennsylvania for at least three years, pay State income taxes for at least three years prior to enrollment in college, and provide an affidavit to the institution of higher education that the student will file an application to a become a permanent resident.

Payton was also joined by DreamActivist Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Immigration & Citizenship Coalition, which advocate for more educational opportunities for undocumented youth.

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Maryland recently became the 11th State to pass legislation allowing long-term undocumented immigrant students the ability to qualify for in-state tuition at institutions of higher education. Other States with similar provisions include Texas, New Mexico, Illinois and Utah.

Quiñones-Sánchez, Green Place Land Bank Before Council City Council Members Maria Quiñones-Sánchez and Bill Green today introduced legislation as a first step towards forming a City of Philadelphia land bank as a single entity to acquire, hold, and dispose of all surplus publicly-owned land. This legislation will not take effect until the enactment of anticipated State legislation authorizing the creation of municipal land banks.

Council members Sánchez and Green have committed to facilitate a collaborative process of hearings and stakeholder discussions to seek input as to the ultimate governance, structure, and policies of a Philadelphia land bank.

“The lack of a single coordinated agency to handle vacant land has increased blight in Philadelphia, and made it harder for our blighted communities to recover,” the Councilwoman stated. There are approximately 40,000 parcels of vacant land in Philadelphia, of which 9,000-12,000 properties are controlled by various government agencies such as the Redevelopment Authority, Philadelphia Housing Authority, Philadelphia Housing Development Corp. and the city’s Public Property depart6|

ment.

Extensive grassroots community planning over the last decade by local Community Development Corporations and advocacy groups, with the support of the private sector, reinforce the need for a land bank to effectively and strategically redevelop vacant and blighted land in Philadelphia. “The message from CDCs, developers, and residents of Philadelphia is clear. They want a transparent process to put vacant land back into productive use,” Green remarked. “Today, we take an important first step toward an efficient, coordinated, and fair policy combating blight. Having a single entity for acquisition and disposition of publicly-owned land will enhance efficiency and effectiveness, focusing public dollars on community revitalization rather than bureaucracy,” Green added.

“We are very encouraged to see City Council, the Administration, and other stakeholders moving together toward creation of a much needed Philadelphia Land Bank.

Consolidation of the public inventory of vacant property in a single entity is critical for more effectively reusing vacant property in Philadelphia,” said Rick Sauer, executive director of the Philadelphia Association of CDCs. “With this legislation, we intend to hold a series of community-based hearings and forums that will shape the mission and structure of this land bank,” Quiñones-Sánchez stated. “We know fixing the vacant land problem is a priority for the Nutter administration and our State delegation, especially Rep. THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

John Taylor who has championed land-bank legislation in Harrisburg. City Council will do its part to make a fair and efficient policy a reality.”

The land bank bill introduced today would create a Philadelphia Land Bank and provide for its appointment, powers, and duties upon the authorization by Pennsylvania General Assembly.

Collective Bargaining: What’s All The Fuss About?

The AFL-CIO and Laughing Liberally will team up to release a series of webisodes that answer the question: “What does collective bargaining actually mean?”

Although politicians in Wisconsin, Ohio and New Hampshire and some Pennsylvania State legislators have aggressively worked to destroy the collective-bargaining rights of working families, many voters still don’t understand what collective bargaining actually means or why anti-working families’ interests and corporate CEOs and there bought-and-paid-for politicians are so keen on ending it. That’s why the AFL-CIO has joined forces with the progressive, comedic, activist group.

Laughing Liberally to create a series of webisodes that explain what collective bargaining is and why it’s so important that workers have a voice on the job. “When workers in a company that recognizes collective bargaining rights negotiate for better wages and benefits, it raises the standards for all workers in the community – with or without unions,” said Bryon Shane, a 20 JUNE, 2011

Pittsburgh bus driver and member of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85. The videos debuted at Netroots Nation as part of a larger website that shows why the recent attacks against workers’ freedom to have a seat at the table are so detrimental.

“Although attacks on workers’ rights are not a laughing matter, in the age when Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert make more sense than the politicians they mock, using a little levity may prove a good way to get across a very important message about collective bargaining, especially to younger workers unfamiliar with the concept,” said Marty Marks, Pennsylvania spokesperson for the national AFL-CIO. The website went live last Friday. It can be found at www.collectivebargainingfacts.org.

Detour Begins This Afternoon On Holme Ave. The Pennsylvania Dept. of Transportation today announced Holme Avenue will be closed and de-

20 JUNE, 2011

toured between Willits Avenue & Route 1 (Roosevelt Avenue) in Philadelphia beginning this afternoon at about 2 p.m. in connection with a bridge-replacement project.

Construction began last November on this project, with one lane closed in each direction on the bridge. However, the work has uncovered serious deterioration, including lengthy cracks in the deck and in a supporting abutment. For safety reasons, PennDOT’s contractor has stopped work and must fully close the bridge to traffic before proceeding with dismantling the current structure.

A posted detour will follow Willits Avenue and Route 1 (Roosevelt Boulevard.) Local access will be maintained up to the closure points of Lewin Place and Longford Street. Motorists are advised to allow extra time when traveling through the area.

bridge. The new bridge, like the current one, will have two lanes in each direction, and sidewalks. The bridge carries about 22,500 vehicles per day on Holme Avenue over the Conrail tracks.

The project was originally scheduled for completion in July 2012, based on the bridge’s remaining open to traffic with lane restrictions. However, with the full closure of the bridge, PennDOT’s contractor will be able to work more quickly, and the bridge is now projected to reopen by the end of this year.

The general contractor on the $5,867,538 project is Buckley & Co., Inc. of Philadelphia. The project is financed with 100% State funds.

Under this project, PennDOT is replacing a structurally deficient Ibeam bridge, which was built in 1919, with a new box-beam

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